We Got Thieves Last Night On Our Property

[MarcHolt]

You can get halogen spotlights from relatively cheap to expensive at Home Pro. Just 1 can light up an avg. yard, 3-4 for larger than avg. Wire them up so that your family can turn these on at once from each floor of your house,

To add to that, I would attach them to motion detectors also (inexpensive), possibly combined with an audible alarm.

One of my friends was burgled regularly over at Thongburi. He figured it was the same guys each time, so he plugged electric wires onto the steel window bars and went to bed. Sure enough, about 2 am there was a horrendous howl downstairs. They never came back again.

[sutnyod]

I would be inclined to put the local police on a monthly retainer if I lived in an isolated environment.

Would NEVER do that! If you can buy them to watch you, somebody else can buy them to look the other way..

[Heng]

Just a little sub-note about keeping guns... This is only advisable if one has extensive fire-arms training.

Soundman.

Definitely. Regular trips to the range are a must. The Sor Ror Por range over on Ramintra Soi Latplakao offers courses just about all year around taught by friendly ex-army folks. From basic revolver and semi-auto beginner stuff, to shotgun, moving target, moving shooter-moving target, and night shooting.

[kmart]

I'm interested in the legal repercussions / consequences of anyone actually shooting a burglar.

Has anybody actually had to do this? And what happened afterwards?

[ColPyat]

I'm interested in the legal repercussions / consequences of anyone actually shooting a burglar.

Has anybody actually had to do this? And what happened afterwards?

Unless the burglar had a gun, and you shot him with a legal weapon, or you managed to fix the crime scene that way, you will be in for murder.

[kmart]

I'm interested in the legal repercussions / consequences of anyone actually shooting a burglar.

Has anybody actually had to do this? And what happened afterwards?

Unless the burglar had a gun, and you shot him with a legal weapon, or you managed to fix the crime scene that way, you will be in for murder.

Thought so. The "John Wayne" approach seems like a bad option here, unless life is directly threatened. Tough call.

[thedi]

The OP wrote that he lives in Isarn. So do I; and my reply is from the point of view of someone who lives in a small village in Isarn:

Try to find out who it was and what they were after. About 3 years ago, workmen on a bulding site outside of our village were stealing fish from our pond at night. They worked only for a view weeks here and then moved on. We didn't bother to do anything about it. An other time it was boys from our village who went after chicken of my brother-in-law at night. All they wanted was a BBQ. We never had an experience with crime-tourists. It was always local people.

To deal with local people needs a totaly different strategy. An electric fence would not scare them, they would just bring a plastic bag to protect their hands next night. Spread a rumor that you know who they are (make it fuzzy, don't name them) and speak with the phu yai ban, but don't go to the police, this would only escalate the situation.

Avoid any escalation! If you hurt one of them, or if you give one of them to the police, all his friends will turn against you.

I have a 'gardener' sleeping in the garden. He is from the village and is liked by everybody. We have no dogs and no arms, but a fence that is not too easy to climb over all around our compound.

We have good relations with every body in the village. My wife is from this village, our daughter (12) is and always was living here and I stay here since 15 years. I speak Thai, we are known to be generous, we employ a lot of people from the village when we build something, we donate whenever they collect money etc. We don't do this as a protection against thieves, but because this is the way we like to live here. But I guess it works as a security measure too.

The OP wrote that he lives outside of a village. It may be a good idea to strengthen the relations with the people from all nearby villages. It is important that the people know and like you. A good start may be to give free english lessons in local schools. Engage local people whenever possible. Pay a bit more than the minimum, have always ice and water handy, give them mangoes, bananas etc as snacks and treat them with a bottle of loa-kao in the evening, maybe together with some meat to BBQ. I never drink with them, but I explain, that I can not drink lao-kao. In short: make friends; don't try to be one of them, but make them like you.

Regards

Thedi

[Heng]

I'm interested in the legal repercussions / consequences of anyone actually shooting a burglar.

Has anybody actually had to do this? And what happened afterwards?

Unless the burglar had a gun, and you shot him with a legal weapon, or you managed to fix the crime scene that way, you will be in for murder.

I've been told by police that the burglar does not have to have a gun (although that helps). A knife is sufficient to show deadly intent.

[OzMan_Bkk]

"Tart" I am a security consultant so if I may I would like to add some advice for you.

Guns ? Forget it....I repeat.....Forget it ! If you don't end up shooting a neighbour you will probably end up shooting off your own big toe. Worse, you get over-powered and get shot yourself. Pepper spray, baseball bats, etc. not a good idea. Why ? Because you have to be in close proximity to the perf. Again, not a good idea. Forget the dog idea. Bloody useless things. Throw them a juicy bone and they take a break. Worse, they can be poisoned just as easily.

One post here was correct. Light and noise. Perfs don't want to be seen and they don't want to be heard. So you need three levels of protection. Your outer wall is first. Topped with wire, glass, spikes. That is a start. Inside your yard you need lights. Get two or three strong solar lights with battery backup. These will not depend on the grid supply. They can cut the power to your house but the lights will still work. If you can't afford a full CCTV system then some dummy cameras will do just as well. Make sure there are some wires coming out of them by the way.

Second level of protection is the walls of your house. make sure all downstairs windows and doors remain securely locked. If you have ladders then make sure they are locked away out of sight. That goes for any tools that could be used to break down a door or force a window. Remember, the objective is to maintain a barrier between you and the intruder at all times. So you lose your TV set or your B10,000. Is that all your life is worth ?

Finally select a room in the house as your "safe room". This is your bolt hole in case of a break in. A bedroom is best as it is more comfortable than a kitchen. Put bars on any external windows. Tempered glass is also a good idea. There is no need for a metal door but you can fit some thin steel plate over the existing door. Replace the door frame with metal and fit a dead bolt or have a metal bar that slides into a bracket on each side. Of course this only works if the door opens into the room. Make sure there is at least water and a fully charged mobile phone in that room at all times. Also a torch, candles and blankets.

The objective is to remain alive. As I said, is your TV and B10,000 worth more than your life or your wife's life ? You do all this, and we are not talking about a lot of expense, and you will feel safer and more at ease. I would suggest at the moment you are neither. That's it. Sounds simple I know but self protection isn't really rocket science. More common sense really. By the way, let me know your address so I can send the invoice. I usually get USD65.00 an hour for this....hahaha. Cheers.

Edited April 22, 2007 by OzMan_Bkk

[kenk3z]

The Thais have a fairly permissive society with respect to gun ownership. They like to claim they have never been subject (certainly true in modern times) to other peoples.

Americans can claim the same.

It is always amusing to listen to the slaves of the Illuminati cower in fear over firearms. You've been slaves of each other and those in power for all of your history. You can't even imagine the concept of competent self-protection, of your lands, your women, your belongings, and your dignity. You are truely slaves. Well-off at the moment, but slaves none the less.

kenk3z

[Ulysses G.]

It is always amusing to listen to the slaves of the Illuminati cower in fear over firearms. You've been slaves of each other and those in power for all of your history. You can't even imagine the concept of competent self-protection, of your lands, your women, your belongings, and your dignity. You are truely slaves. Well-off at the moment, but slaves none the less.

[simon43]

Can I suggest an alternative strategy to minimise the chance of burgleries? I use this strategy very successfully and have never had any burglers in our houses in BKK and Phuket.

- remove any perimeter wall, barbed wire, glass, motion detectors, floodlights, security system, big dog, armed guard, cache of pepperspray etc.

- don't drive a flash car

- Don't wear any gold or expensive jewellery

- Integrate with your local community by learning to speak, read and write Thai etc

You might be pleasantly surprised to find that by not isolating yourself from the community in your top-security house, and giving the impression that you are not rich - then no-one will burgle you!!

Time and time again I have seen 'fort knox' houses owned by 'farang'. Speaking to the local community about this always gives the same type of response . . . 'If they want to isolate themselves like that, then they are inviting burglers, and we are not going to help them when they get robbed!!'

Simon

[Ulysses G.]

I want to know more about the Slaves of the Illuminati.

[khunmarc]

The best solution would be, as this seems to be your property, to build a second house, and move some of your relatives there permanently.

hum maybe its all a set up and the familly decided its time to have a new home too hehehehhe

some of them suggestions ! my God buy a gun set up a crime scene !!! must be a bunch of old west justice fan around .... or you guys watch too much CSI BKK !!!!!

you never know who you deeal with when thieves show up that applies to Thailand or anywhere else!! so is it really worth it to stand up to a bunch of crazed ya bah or crack heads?? that canuck dude got kill in BKK last winter over a camera nad a purse

I say get 2 or 3 dogs usually the pack effect is noisy enough to scare bums away

gee get a 4th one !!! low grade rice and left overs are cheap !!! cheaper then any alarm system or building another home

and I like Simnon 's advice on this topic I did the same thing hehehe no fancy car no big house never wear jewelry and I kept the parents at home with us right in the middle of the village but I kept the dogs just in case LOL

[larvidchr]

"Tart" I am a security consultant so if I may I would like to add some advice for you.

Guns ? Forget it....I repeat.....Forget it ! If you don't end up shooting a neighbour you will probably end up shooting off your own big toe. Worse, you get over-powered and get shot yourself. Pepper spray, baseball bats, etc. not a good idea. Why ? Because you have to be in close proximity to the perf. Again, not a good idea. Forget the dog idea. Bloody useless things. Throw them a juicy bone and they take a break. Worse, they can be poisoned just as easily.

One post here was correct. Light and noise. Perfs don't want to be seen and they don't want to be heard. So you need three levels of protection. Your outer wall is first. Topped with wire, glass, spikes. That is a start. Inside your yard you need lights. Get two or three strong solar lights with battery backup. These will not depend on the grid supply. They can cut the power to your house but the lights will still work. If you can't afford a full CCTV system then some dummy cameras will do just as well. Make sure there are some wires coming out of them by the way.

Second level of protection is the walls of your house. make sure all downstairs windows and doors remain securely locked. If you have ladders then make sure they are locked away out of sight. That goes for any tools that could be used to break down a door or force a window. Remember, the objective is to maintain a barrier between you and the intruder at all times. So you lose your TV set or your B10,000. Is that all your life is worth ?

Finally select a room in the house as your "safe room". This is your bolt hole in case of a break in. A bedroom is best as it is more comfortable than a kitchen. Put bars on any external windows. Tempered glass is also a good idea. There is no need for a metal door but you can fit some thin steel plate over the existing door. Replace the door frame with metal and fit a dead bolt or have a metal bar that slides into a bracket on each side. Of course this only works if the door opens into the room. Make sure there is at least water and a fully charged mobile phone in that room at all times. Also a torch, candles and blankets.

The objective is to remain alive. As I said, is your TV and B10,000 worth more than your life or your wife's life ? You do all this, and we are not talking about a lot of expense, and you will feel safer and more at ease. I would suggest at the moment you are neither. That's it. Sounds simple I know but self protection isn't really rocket science. More common sense really. By the way, let me know your address so I can send the invoice. I usually get USD65.00 an hour for this....hahaha. Cheers.

I to am a proffesionel on this subject even an expert if you like, if you look at my post nr 19 from the 14/4 in this tread, I have outlined everything you have, execpt you miss the part where the perps have penetrated the safe room or your passive defences on your perimeter, now this is the point where you security consultants stop earning money cause you cant sell monthly subcriptions to a gun, and you cant help the client any further, at this point it is up to the client himself to safe his life (in fact you might be better of if he dies, then he wont be able to tell that all your expensive mesures did not help him in the end), in many millions of homes a gun is the desperat and last line of defence, you make it sound like it is so difficult to use a gun, i beg to differ and millions of braindead criminals prove my point. a 38 revolver or a shotgun is extremely simple to use and it is almost impossible to get it wrong with just a minimum of instruktion and commen sence.

If your client in the end are not prepared to use ultimate force, pepperspray is the next best thing and anyway better than nothing, and again you are out of immidiate reach using the spray.

I wont dwell to much on why "semi" proffesionel security consultant firms almost always decline from going the whole way, but libel concerns and public image concerns are among the main culprits.

Now I am going to cut your fee to 32,5 USD you only did your job 50% I could offer to teach you more for free, but I wont cause I am retired

[gummy]

Can I suggest an alternative strategy to minimise the chance of burgleries? I use this strategy very successfully and have never had any burglers in our houses in BKK and Phuket.

- remove any perimeter wall, barbed wire, glass, motion detectors, floodlights, security system, big dog, armed guard, cache of pepperspray etc.

- don't drive a flash car

- Don't wear any gold or expensive jewellery

- Integrate with your local community by learning to speak, read and write Thai etc

You might be pleasantly surprised to find that by not isolating yourself from the community in your top-security house, and giving the impression that you are not rich - then no-one will burgle you!!

Time and time again I have seen 'fort knox' houses owned by 'farang'. Speaking to the local community about this always gives the same type of response . . . 'If they want to isolate themselves like that, then they are inviting burglers, and we are not going to help them when they get robbed!!'

Simon

Reasonable advice and may mitigate the risk to degree. However Thais suffer similar problems with burglers, especially in BKK where they live in a Thai community. You do not have to be rich, or give that impression to be burgled. To a less fortunate member of the community anybody who lives in a single house is considered wealthy by their own standards and hence a potential target for those so inclined.

[AmeriThai]

I want to know more about the Slaves of the Illuminati.

Sounds like the title of a low budget movie from the 50s that would run with great hits like "Prehistoric Women of Planet Venus".

[scousemouse]

We moved into our new home less than 3 months ago. We are 1km out of the village, no next neighbours, but a few houses nearby. We just recently finished building a perimeter wall: 25% streetside with the traditional thai metal frames and a gate, 50% is wired fence with a small supporting wall and 25% is 2m high wall next to a piece of land withouth a house yet. There is a strong street light not far away and we have a backyard light on at night.

We do have a dog, but it's a puppet, our previous dog being poisonned before we moved over here and the puppet is sleeping inhouse until she will be adult.

I almost happened to be alone into the wee hours last night and wonder what I should have done if that was the case, but anyway, it was not because she returned unexpectedly early from Songkran with friends in the village.

We turned off the bedroom light around 22.30, airco running and I am half deaf, so have problems hearing what's going on outside. Less than 15 minutes later the wife went to the window and said: "ssst, kamoy in baan" I was confused, because "IN" the house means inside, but half understood she ment within our perimeter wall. She took her mobile and called her parents in the nearby village and told me to keep quit.

Here I disagreed, wrong or right???

I decided to scare them away, open light and window and shout at them.

I got as far as opening the light when the wife got mad at me: "why don't you listen to me, I want them in jail, my family is coming and you scare them away!!!!!!

Seems they went off over the wall, family came over, the wife got hysteric, shouting and running around the house, some neighbours came over hearing the commotions, the village head arrived, the police arrived last.

For the rest of the night I got scolded at: she is saying "this is Thailand , you don't know thai people, thieves will kill you as a dog, why you don't listen to me etc etc.

Well I do have a problem with staying hidden in a room waiting for some help to arrive.

Then I might be wrong and maybe I should have obeyed her.

Then the vast majotity of people on this board are farangs, so it is a tricky question: what to do when you know thieves are within the perimeter of your property?

We will need to think about improving security: we did decide to add barbed wire on top of the wall, considered lights with sensors, but a dog running around will make that useless, a second dog (thinking dogs sleeping outside need company)

What were they trying to achieve? Run off with our (fairly new) motorbikes or car (always locked) How would they do that? Cut the lock of the gate and run off? Cut the fence and get out via the fields with a motorbike? Gte into the house and claim money whilst life threatening us with knives or a gun? (we hardly keep any cash in house, max 10k, but then that is still a lot of money for those who have nothing)

This in not my home country, so she has a point or two.

I do remember my home village, where thieves broke in at night at neighbours, found the keys to the car, took some paintings and jewellery and left with the car. When they woke up in the morning....

I got told once by the local police head honcho , after I was repeatedly climbing over my school home wall because it locked up at 9 pm , that if anybody had seen me they were in their right to shoot me and were not breaking the law.

So my advice is to get a gun and just fire warning shots at first , i'm sure you wont be seeing them again . Even if you happened to hit one you would still not be breaking the law , but lets say you got p.c. plod looking to make a problem , it wouldnt take much baht to make that problem go away.

It was not long after finding that law out from the local police head honcho that I left that part of thailand I was living in many moons ago.

[t.s]

The OP wrote that he lives in Isarn. So do I; and my reply is from the point of view of someone who lives in a small village in Isarn:

Try to find out who it was and what they were after. About 3 years ago, workmen on a bulding site outside of our village were stealing fish from our pond at night. They worked only for a view weeks here and then moved on. We didn't bother to do anything about it. An other time it was boys from our village who went after chicken of my brother-in-law at night. All they wanted was a BBQ. We never had an experience with crime-tourists. It was always local people.

To deal with local people needs a totaly different strategy. An electric fence would not scare them, they would just bring a plastic bag to protect their hands next night. Spread a rumor that you know who they are (make it fuzzy, don't name them) and speak with the phu yai ban, but don't go to the police, this would only escalate the situation.

Avoid any escalation! If you hurt one of them, or if you give one of them to the police, all his friends will turn against you.

I have a 'gardener' sleeping in the garden. He is from the village and is liked by everybody. We have no dogs and no arms, but a fence that is not too easy to climb over all around our compound.

We have good relations with every body in the village. My wife is from this village, our daughter (12) is and always was living here and I stay here since 15 years. I speak Thai, we are known to be generous, we employ a lot of people from the village when we build something, we donate whenever they collect money etc. We don't do this as a protection against thieves, but because this is the way we like to live here. But I guess it works as a security measure too.

The OP wrote that he lives outside of a village. It may be a good idea to strengthen the relations with the people from all nearby villages. It is important that the people know and like you. A good start may be to give free english lessons in local schools. Engage local people whenever possible. Pay a bit more than the minimum, have always ice and water handy, give them mangoes, bananas etc as snacks and treat them with a bottle of loa-kao in the evening, maybe together with some meat to BBQ. I never drink with them, but I explain, that I can not drink lao-kao. In short: make friends; don't try to be one of them, but make them like you.

Regards

Thedi

well done sir, neither paranoid nor alarmist, just common good sense.

[thedi]

Integrate with your local community by learning to speak, read and write Thai etc

You might be pleasantly surprised to find that by not isolating yourself from the community in your top-security house, and giving the impression that you are not rich - then no-one will burgle you!!

Time and time again I have seen 'fort knox' houses owned by 'farang'. Speaking to the local community about this always gives the same type of response . . . 'If they want to isolate themselves like that, then they are inviting burglers, and we are not going to help them when they get robbed!!'

I second this. I live in TH for more than 20 years, and we were never burglared. In all this time there where 2 chickens and about 10 fish from a pond missing. Nothing more.

If you are known and liked by the local people, 99% of the burglaries will not happen to you. If you are not liked, you will be a primary target for the youths.

In a town or an anonymous place like Pataya this my not work so good, but if you live in the country you will be well of like this. It has the added advantage, that you live with people who like you. That's what we are here for, right?

Best regards

Thedi

[larvidchr]

The OP wrote that he lives in Isarn. So do I; and my reply is from the point of view of someone who lives in a small village in Isarn:

Try to find out who it was and what they were after. About 3 years ago, workmen on a bulding site outside of our village were stealing fish from our pond at night. They worked only for a view weeks here and then moved on. We didn't bother to do anything about it. An other time it was boys from our village who went after chicken of my brother-in-law at night. All they wanted was a BBQ. We never had an experience with crime-tourists. It was always local people.

To deal with local people needs a totaly different strategy. An electric fence would not scare them, they would just bring a plastic bag to protect their hands next night. Spread a rumor that you know who they are (make it fuzzy, don't name them) and speak with the phu yai ban, but don't go to the police, this would only escalate the situation.

Avoid any escalation! If you hurt one of them, or if you give one of them to the police, all his friends will turn against you.

I have a 'gardener' sleeping in the garden. He is from the village and is liked by everybody. We have no dogs and no arms, but a fence that is not too easy to climb over all around our compound.

We have good relations with every body in the village. My wife is from this village, our daughter (12) is and always was living here and I stay here since 15 years. I speak Thai, we are known to be generous, we employ a lot of people from the village when we build something, we donate whenever they collect money etc. We don't do this as a protection against thieves, but because this is the way we like to live here. But I guess it works as a security measure too.

The OP wrote that he lives outside of a village. It may be a good idea to strengthen the relations with the people from all nearby villages. It is important that the people know and like you. A good start may be to give free english lessons in local schools. Engage local people whenever possible. Pay a bit more than the minimum, have always ice and water handy, give them mangoes, bananas etc as snacks and treat them with a bottle of loa-kao in the evening, maybe together with some meat to BBQ. I never drink with them, but I explain, that I can not drink lao-kao. In short: make friends; don't try to be one of them, but make them like you.

Regards

Thedi

well done sir, neither paranoid nor alarmist, just common good sense.

I certainly agree that being an upstanding citizen in any community to some degree protects you from being harassed, but addicts steal from their Grandmothers, they not only like her they love her!!. Professionel thieves dont know you but travel around and chooses targets of opportunity and of to them apparent wealth, they dont know anybody in the area and they dont care who you are. Other criminals are sick/insane and no amount of decency on your part will stop a sick/insane person from trying to achive his goal, that being a rape or other things.

I can only recommend you and everybody else to continue to be a good, friendly and helpfull citizens regardless of any threats of burglary, but it is not a question of being alarmist or paranoid to take other small measures to protect your loved ones and your property, it is simply not being naive.

Kind regards.

[Khonwan]

I've lived in my current house for 11 years, 1.5km away from neighbours. I believe integration in the community is key to security (and happiness). I guess most villagers have been in my house over the years...have seen the security bars on my windows...know I have a heavy safe. I also let it be known that I do not have a gun in the house. Nor do I have a dog or any perimeter walls. I don't even have geese (I'm surprised nobody has yet mentioned these - better than dogs!).

Everyone knows I enjoy the support of the community. Nothing happens in the community without the perpetrators being found out. My village is not short of guys that would take the law into their own hands should anything happen. I sleep well.

[scousemouse]

The OP wrote that he lives in Isarn. So do I; and my reply is from the point of view of someone who lives in a small village in Isarn:

Try to find out who it was and what they were after. About 3 years ago, workmen on a bulding site outside of our village were stealing fish from our pond at night. They worked only for a view weeks here and then moved on. We didn't bother to do anything about it. An other time it was boys from our village who went after chicken of my brother-in-law at night. All they wanted was a BBQ. We never had an experience with crime-tourists. It was always local people.

To deal with local people needs a totaly different strategy. An electric fence would not scare them, they would just bring a plastic bag to protect their hands next night. Spread a rumor that you know who they are (make it fuzzy, don't name them) and speak with the phu yai ban, but don't go to the police, this would only escalate the situation.

Avoid any escalation! If you hurt one of them, or if you give one of them to the police, all his friends will turn against you.

I have a 'gardener' sleeping in the garden. He is from the village and is liked by everybody. We have no dogs and no arms, but a fence that is not too easy to climb over all around our compound.

We have good relations with every body in the village. My wife is from this village, our daughter (12) is and always was living here and I stay here since 15 years. I speak Thai, we are known to be generous, we employ a lot of people from the village when we build something, we donate whenever they collect money etc. We don't do this as a protection against thieves, but because this is the way we like to live here. But I guess it works as a security measure too.

The OP wrote that he lives outside of a village. It may be a good idea to strengthen the relations with the people from all nearby villages. It is important that the people know and like you. A good start may be to give free english lessons in local schools. Engage local people whenever possible. Pay a bit more than the minimum, have always ice and water handy, give them mangoes, bananas etc as snacks and treat them with a bottle of loa-kao in the evening, maybe together with some meat to BBQ. I never drink with them, but I explain, that I can not drink lao-kao. In short: make friends; don't try to be one of them, but make them like you.

Regards

Thedi

well done sir, neither paranoid nor alarmist, just common good sense.

of course its nice to be nice but not every-one is

[wolfmanjack]

We moved into our new home less than 3 months ago. We are 1km out of the village, no next neighbours, but a few houses nearby. We just recently finished building a perimeter wall: 25% streetside with the traditional thai metal frames and a gate, 50% is wired fence with a small supporting wall and 25% is 2m high wall next to a piece of land withouth a house yet. There is a strong street light not far away and we have a backyard light on at night.

We do have a dog, but it's a puppet, our previous dog being poisonned before we moved over here and the puppet is sleeping inhouse until she will be adult.

I almost happened to be alone into the wee hours last night and wonder what I should have done if that was the case, but anyway, it was not because she returned unexpectedly early from Songkran with friends in the village.

We turned off the bedroom light around 22.30, airco running and I am half deaf, so have problems hearing what's going on outside. Less than 15 minutes later the wife went to the window and said: "ssst, kamoy in baan" I was confused, because "IN" the house means inside, but half understood she ment within our perimeter wall. She took her mobile and called her parents in the nearby village and told me to keep quit.

Here I disagreed, wrong or right???

I decided to scare them away, open light and window and shout at them.

I got as far as opening the light when the wife got mad at me: "why don't you listen to me, I want them in jail, my family is coming and you scare them away!!!!!!

Seems they went off over the wall, family came over, the wife got hysteric, shouting and running around the house, some neighbours came over hearing the commotions, the village head arrived, the police arrived last.

For the rest of the night I got scolded at: she is saying "this is Thailand , you don't know thai people, thieves will kill you as a dog, why you don't listen to me etc etc.

Well I do have a problem with staying hidden in a room waiting for some help to arrive.

Then I might be wrong and maybe I should have obeyed her.

Then the vast majotity of people on this board are farangs, so it is a tricky question: what to do when you know thieves are within the perimeter of your property?

We will need to think about improving security: we did decide to add barbed wire on top of the wall, considered lights with sensors, but a dog running around will make that useless, a second dog (thinking dogs sleeping outside need company)

What were they trying to achieve? Run off with our (fairly new) motorbikes or car (always locked) How would they do that? Cut the lock of the gate and run off? Cut the fence and get out via the fields with a motorbike? Gte into the house and claim money whilst life threatening us with knives or a gun? (we hardly keep any cash in house, max 10k, but then that is still a lot of money for those who have nothing)

This in not my home country, so she has a point or two.

I do remember my home village, where thieves broke in at night at neighbours, found the keys to the car, took some paintings and jewellery and left with the car. When they woke up in the morning....

I got told once by the local police head honcho , after I was repeatedly climbing over my school home wall because it locked up at 9 pm , that if anybody had seen me they were in their right to shoot me and were not breaking the law.

So my advice is to get a gun and just fire warning shots at first , i'm sure you wont be seeing them again . Even if you happened to hit one you would still not be breaking the law , but lets say you got p.c. plod looking to make a problem , it wouldnt take much baht to make that problem go away.

It was not long after finding that law out from the local police head honcho that I left that part of thailand I was living in many moons ago.

Don't forget that what goes up must come down. If you fire a warning shot in BKK the bullet may come down and hit some innocent kid.